serenade

Congratulations to the winners and also thank you for setting it up- it's a lovely thing to do and I bet it took a lot of organising! 😀

Love the pics, thanks for posting 😀

44 minutes ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

I don't think I have ever seen Lamb/Muntagirov as dancing partners but now I wish I could!  I think they would be very well-matched in style and appearance/build.

I think they did afternoon of a faun together- it’s on a dvd with Carmen, Viscera and Tchaikovsky PDD

33 minutes ago, Don Q Fan said:

I hope people realise there are some great offers on tickets for Raymonda over on the Special Offers thread at the top of the Tickets for sale/wanted forum thread.  I got a great seat for less than half price - the From The Box Office offer is the cheaper one of the 2 (and price includes fees) but please don't pay full price!  Get in while the offers are on!

Yes I treated myself to front row stalls as the offer had them for about £40 😀 I’m so pleased I checked the thread before I bought! 

26 minutes ago, alison said:

I've said it before, but in many productions which have a peasant pas de deux I find it really intrusive: on comes this couple who have nothing to do with the plot, dance a pas de deux, have everyone wondering "who are they that they dance a pas de deux?  Must be important characters" and then are never seen again.  A pas de six seems more appropriate for the setting, somehow, without dancers detracting from the principals.

I totally agree. The first time I watched Giselle it was the Bolshoi version and I was so confused as to who the couple were as they seemed to be so important to the first act 😂 I don’t mind a pd4 actually, I think the Dutch national ballet has it with 4 dancers but my favourite is the 6 

32 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Thank you for the recommendations.

Just wondering if anyone has read Holding on to the Air by Suzanne Farrell? I'd really like to read it, to get more of an insight into the New York City Ballet's early years.

Yes it’s very good, I would recommend it. It was quite hard to get at the time I read it but I think I found a cheap copy from eBay in the end. If you’re interested in early NYCB Edward Villella’s book Prodigal Son is one I really enjoyed. Also goes into after NYCB, founding Miami city ballet etc.

36 minutes ago, ninamargaret said:

Don't forget that now there are no.longer printed cast sheets, audiences are actually told that they can digitally access cast information before and during a performance! Not sure how you do this if you've abided by the rules and turned your phone off.

I think if you're keen enough to care about who's performing to get the casting up then probably you would actually want to just watch the performance and it wouldn't encourage you to use your phone through the performance (although who knows just my theory).  That being said not getting the printed cast sheet makes me sad, I really hate getting it on my phone.

1 hour ago, art_enthusiast said:

I think a mandatory 'hand in your phone' policy would work well at the Royal Opera House, for those who seem to be incapable of following the rules.

I hate people using their phones inappropriately but I'd hate a hand in your phone policy even more 😄

But yes, it's very common.  I just don't understand what's so hard about sitting without using it until the interval, it's really not that long and most of the seats are not exactly cheap.  I have never had someone filming next to me thankfully....that would completely ruin it for me.  That's awful re your Giselle experience  anything like that would completely distract me and ruin the mood!

I went to see Romeo and Juliet this run at the ROH, it was the opening night and I think it was the first performance back with full capacity audience. 
 

Person I was sitting next to waited for the orchestra overture to start and promptly got their phone out and started scrolling Instagram…I just don’t understand. If you’re so bored by it all why bother coming 🤷🏻‍♀️

Wow amazing pictures Rob S- thank you for sharing.

2 hours ago, Sim said:

Another great night, but what made it particularly memorable for me was Mayara Magri’s magnificent, majestic, marvellous Myrthe.  Those bourees across the stage.  The jumps and jetes.  Those beautiful feet and arms.  The hint of vulnerability.  Fire and ice.  One of the finest performances of the role that I have ever seen.   

I couldn't agree more.  I absolutely loved her in this role, everything about it was just exactly right.

I loved tonight- Natalia is the ultimate Giselle for me, I love her interpretation.  Her performance was amazing, it is really a special role for her I think.  I had chills up and down my spine the whole night.

This was the first time I'd seen Reece Clarke in a principal role- I thought he was impressive, very princely.  I can just see him as Florimund.  I can't say I think they set the world alight with their chemistry but I did believe in their partnership.  Chemistry is very subjective anyway!

The wilis were outstanding of course as ever, magical.  I thought Luca Acri was great in the pd6.  Loved Kristen McNally as Berthe.  Really enjoyed Lukas B. Brændsrød as Hilarion.

All in all a great night.  I can't wait to go back and see Francesca as Giselle in a week or so!

Just a sidenote but I do find it really strange that no-one is checking tickets.  I went to see Romeo and Juliet and no-one checked and I thought it was a one off but again tonight there was no-one there.  This was for the stalls so I don't know what it's like in other areas.  (Sorry if it's been mentioned before I'm not up to date so may have missed posts).

8 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

I'm aware that the music for Giselle doesn't have the best reputation, but I absolutely love it.

I love it too, it’s one of my absolute favourite ballet scores. Usually I am alone at the ballet but a time I went with my friend who said about the Giselle score:..meh…it was ok! I couldn’t believe it as the music blows me away every time 😂 

Anyway, I am very excited to see it on Friday and thank you everyone on this thread for the reviews and photos.

I think it would be a fair assumption that Hallberg will be doing everything in his power to give the best performances he can and get as strong as he can so I’m sure he will have explored every avenue when it comes to improving his strength and the lifts (imo obviously).

36 minutes ago, Sim said:

Now THAT is how a prince should make an entrance!!

Haha absolutely! And that music is just crying out for something spectacular... 

35 minutes ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

Thank you for posting that video, @serenade - Hallberg is the epitome of a ballet prince here.  It makes me wish I had seen him dance live at the height of his powers.

pleased you enjoyed it- me too, so much 

4 hours ago, Shade said:

Gosh that had to one of the most toxic reviews I have ever read. Did mr monahan drink a pint of bile before writing it?

 

I was there and I had bins and didn’t see the same things at all. 

Same. 

I really loved the whole night and am surprised by the review.  I splashed out on one ticket for this run (and will see the cinema broadcast when it eventually happens!) and managed to get front row of stalls which I've never managed to get before so that was amazing.  I don't think that her Aurora is ever going to be as good as her Giselle or Kitri for example but she's still gives a great performance.  For me, it was definitely not the best Rose Adagio I've ever seen...but it wasn't bad in the way this reviewer makes it sound (not to my eyes anyway).  I thought her energy was maybe a bit too much Natalia and not enough Aurora until after the Rose Adagio was done but then as the night went on I did believe she was Aurora and believed in her and the Prince's relationship also so I thought it was overall a well rounded performance.  And anyway, there's many ways you can play Aurora...

I got caught up in the performance so much I didn't notice the missing lifts but I did think some bits of the PDD's were a bit underwheming (so it was probably that that did it).  The first PDD the lifts didn't look as effortless as (I think) they should, I thought they looked a bit heavy to be honest.  I loved his solos and his beautiful dancing generally...some of it wasn't perfect but overall I thought  I didn't notice anything wrong with the fish dives but I am definitely no expert...but they looked good to me.  

I thought Magri was such a great Lilac Fairy...she brought really warmth to the role which I think is important.  Loved Arestis' Carabosse...one of my favourite performances of the role...very icy.  Anna Rose O'Sullivan was the standout for me in the Fairy variations.  And all of the Act 3 divertissement's were great.  Overally really enjoyed it.  Also, on a personal note I've been waiting a long time to see Hallberg in Sleeping Beauty.  I used to hate the Sleeping Beauty and think it was basically a snorefest until I watched the Bolshoi DVD version a few years ago with Hallberg and Zakharova which blew me away.  So at last I saw him in the flesh...albeit not at his peak but still pretty great.  I really love the choreography for the prince's entrance in the Bolshoi version...it's sad he doesn't get a grand entrance in the RB.  Had to share this video of Hallberg, it's from the DVD that turned me into a Sleeping Beauty fan...

On 12/07/2019 at 22:32, JNC said:

I'm not sure if I should create a separate thread (perhaps mods can do so if appropriate/preferred) but after reading through the 'Who to see in Manon thread' and finding it very insightful, I wondered who people had booked to see in Sleeping Beauty and Coppelia. 

Originially I was going to treat myself and book 3 casts for Sleeping Beauty and they would have been Osipova/Hallberg, Hayward/Campbell and O'Sullivan/Hay.  I really love Hayward and Campbell so I think they would be great to see and I'm a James Hay fan (and also read lots of great things about O'Sullivan on here I just haven't seen her in much) so I thought it would be nice to see her debut.  But then life got in the way and I had lots of unexpected expense so I just had to pick 1 performance for each ballet this season and have gone for Osipova/Hallberg.  My reasoning was I've never seen her Aurora and I'm a big fan of hers and I have always wanted to see her interpretation of this role.  Also I have watched Hallberg in this role a million times (albeit on DVD 😄) and I think he's amazing in it.  I know that was pre injury but seeing him in A month in the country reassured me h'e's still the interesting artist he always was even if he can't do everything he once could so that was my choice.

Now with Coppelia I have gone for Magri/Corrales .  It was between them and Hayward /McRae or Morera/Campbell but I'm not a big McRae fan (although I can definitely see him as Franz, I think the role will really suit him) and the Morera/Campbell dates just didn't quite work out for me so I've left it.  I think Magri will be great in this role and I've been so impressed with Corrales that I decided to go for them.  I think the Choe/Acri and O'Sullivan/Sambe casts would also be nice to see, I can imagine them well in the roles but again I had to rule them out just because the dates didn't work out for me.  But honestly, personally I think Coppelia is such a lovely ballet you could book any cast and have a great time.  I've never seen RB dancing Coppelia before but Coppelia has a special place in my heart as it was my first full length ballet I saw live- BRB toured it a few years ago before I was living in London and I got bitten by the ballet bug 😃

My highlights have been:

Royal Ballet:

- La Bayadere- I really love this ballet but my highlight was the Osipova/Corrales/Nunez cast.  I also saw the the Nunez/Muntagirov/Osipova cast but I much prefer the casting the other way round, and while I think Muntagirov is clearly an absolutely amazing dancer he just doesn't usually do much for me; whereas Corrales on the other hand blew me away.  

- Les Patineurs- I'd never seen this ballet before but I thought it was just spectacular and riduclously enjoyable.  I wish it was on every year! 😃

- The Two Pigeons- I always liked this ballet before but I saw the Takada/Hay cast and I truly fell in love with it and actually cried at the end which is extremely rare for me as I'm not usually a ballet crier...I felt like it was just one of those magical performances

- Romeo and Juliet- I saw the Hayward/Corrales cast- just fantastic

- The Firebird/A Month in the Country/Symphony in C triple bill: I can't think of a mixed bill I've seen that has been better than this, really loved it and fell hopelessly in love with A Month in the Country (I saw the Osipova/Hallberg cast and thought she was completely fantastic and captivating...and that Hallberg was brilliant too)...and I was already in love with Symphony in C but that was as brilliant as ever.

Other companies:

- BRB's La Fille at Sadlers...so joyful.  I saw the Celine Gittens/Brandon Lawrence cast and they were wonderful

- ENB performing Pita's Rite of Spring- I thought it was unbelievable (was not much of a fan of the She Persisted bill but I would sit through anything to see Rite of Spring again)

- Seeing Alina Cojocaru in various ENB productions...even if I'm not so keen on the ballet it's great to see her as I never got the opportunity when she was at the RB

- Bolshoi cinema broadcasts...La Sylphide and Don Q(can't remember if Don Q was a repeat or live but either way I absolutely loved them)

My lowlights were:

- RB's The Unknown Soldier...I get so sick of completely uninspiring new work 

- RB's Don Q- love the ballet but never seen the Acosta production before...I'm not sure what he did to it but I felt like he somehow ripped the heart out of it

- San Francisco Ballet Welch/Scarlett/Peck bill...looked forward to finally seeing a Peck piece since it was announced it was coming and then I just hated it and the other 2.  I think this bill wins the prize for my personal biggest disappointment 

- Having to return my Romeo and Juliet ticket for the Osipova/Hallberg cast and then my local cinema being sold out (well there was a couple of seats left but they were the ones so close to the screen it's a strain to watch it) so I didn't even get to see what all the fuss is about with Nagdi and Ball ☹️

All in all I think it's been a pretty great ballet season though!

46 minutes ago, Mary said:

One to watch endlessly, for a lifetime, serenade!

Can’t wait! 😀

I went to last night's performance and really loved it.  I think it's got to be my favourite mixed bill I've ever gone to, such a great combination of ballets...

I have never seen The Firebird before and actually have never listened to the score though I've always been interested to see it.  While I didn't love it I did really enjoy it and found it quite fascinating.  It's strange (in a good way) and very atmospheric and unusual.  I thought Mendizabal was really terrific, very dramatic and fierce.  Claire Calvert really stood out for me as Tsarevna but everyone was great of course, as ever.

I was completely blown away by A Month in the Country.  I'd never seen this piece before either and knew nothing about it going in, except it was Ashton and therefore a safe bet I would probably be a fan.  I ended up loving every minute of it and have definitely fallen head over heels with this ballet.  I think it's a true masterpiece and I wish I could have made it to another performance but unfortunately couldn't.  I really can't say enough great things about Natalia's performance in this- I thought she was mesmerising and really moving.  She really seemed to live this part and I thought she had a great connection with Hallberg.  I was a bit unsure what to expect considering a lot of the Romeo and Juliet reports weren't so positive but I thought their partnership really works (last night anyway!)  Of course I realise A Month is a different beast to R&J but still, I feel reassured enough based on last night to look forward to seeing them dance together again in the new season.  I thought Hallberg was fantastic last night.  He was always an elegant and beautiful dancer and I don't think that's changed and I thought he acted well and was entirely believable and I think they bring the best out in each other.  There is a warm quality about their partnership, it's quite hard to explain...but I like them together basically.  Meaghan Grace Hinkis I thought was absolutely fantastic as Vera , what a great actress (as well as dancer obviously although that goes without saying) ,and Luca Acri as Kolia was fantastic in a part which does not look for the faint of heart...I would be terrified of dropping the ball!  Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to the next time they stage this but in the meantime I've discovered the whole ballet with Lynn Seymour and Anthony Dowell is on youtube so off to watch it...

And finally Symphony in C was as brilliant as ever.  One of my absolute favourite ballets and last night did not disappoint.  Everything about this ballet, and everyone in it I thought were just superb so I'll just mention my personal highlights.  Muntagirov in the first movement...his dancing was so joyful, I found it quite infectious.  Marianela in the second movement- really something else.  For the first time watching this ballet the second movement ended up being my favourite on the night- also I thought she worked well with Hirano, I liked their partnership.  Third movement, all of it, and so nice to see Campbell and Yuhui together.  Fourth movement, I really liked the Naghdi/Zucchetti partnership a lot.

So yes, all in all this was a great way for me to end the season 😃

7 minutes ago, HappyTurk said:

I think Ball and Muntagirov and even McRae have great chemistry with Osipova. The only issue is that all three are on the reserve for Naghdi, Nunez, and Takada respectively. So the issue is availability.

Yes actually I forgot about McRae- really liked them together in La Fille but good point re availability 

25 minutes ago, JNC said:

 

I think this is my point - if he becomes Osipova's primary (or only) partner I don't really think that's in the spirit of guesting. Obviously if dancers have a great partnership (think Fonteyn Nureyev as the most famous example) that should be nurtured but at the same time surely Osipova can/should find a good partnership amongst all the RB's amazing male dancers? 

True not in the spirit of guesting but I guess there are no hard and fast rules so it depends what they feel works best overall. 

just my opinion of course but I don’t feel like she’s really caught fire with anyone in the company so far (albeit I missed her with Watson sadly, that would have been interesting). But then others think she works well with Ball, Muntagirov so it’s all very subjective.  

1 hour ago, JNC said:

In the case of Hallberg clearly he and Osipova enjoy dancing together and have a special partnership. I haven't seen him dance yet (though I am due to go tomorrow and look forward to it with interest based on what others have said). I think the fact that he is dancing in Manon and SB means I am favouring the argument that perhaps he is guesting 'too much' (in my opinion). I feel one key role (over a number of performances) a season is an excellent flavouring, but more than that feels like they are more than a 'guest'. Just my opinion however and others of course may disagree. It'll be interesting to see if he gets cast in anything in the following seasons - if not, my argument collapses but if so I wonder if he'll become a regular feature at Covent Garden? 

I think it feels like he’s been guesting a lot but he’s only actually done 2 Romeos so far as he had to pull out of Manon last time round and then of course did the first act of Giselle injured and had to be replaced. I think probably next season will decide on the future of him guesting as if it goes well I can imagine him being a permanent fixture and being her partner in the classics. But it really depends on what he’s like next season. 

I’m pretty on the fence about it. On the one hand I think he’s an incredible dancer, I’m excited on the opportunity to see him and I also feel like Osipova really struggles to get a partnership that works so if this works then it can only be a good thing. On the other hand if the standard of dancing is not what it should be post injury then maybe it’s best to not keep the invitations coming. Anyway just my two cents m, hope you enjoy the show 😊

19 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I'm probably in a minority but I'm feeling a touch of Manon fatigue!

Me too...it feels a bit soon to have it back

This is going to be a tough season financially 😬! I love a lot of these casting decisions so everything is just so tempting. 

I’m not a big fan of Manon and I’ve seen it recently with ENB and in the RB’s last run also so I was going to rest it but I’ve become a real Hayward fan and I would like to see her in the role esp with Campbell (who I’m very pleased is actually getting cast in principal roles again, what a novelty). 

Then the problem with Sleeping Beauty is it’s one of my absolute favourites and my plan was to treat myself to one great (but pricey) seat but that plan might have gone out the window now as again I would love to see Hayward in this role. I have to see Osipova and Hallberg as I’m a huge fan of both and Hallberg is my absolute favourite Prince Florimund (in the past that is). Of course it won’t be the same post injury and I wasn’t able to get to his Romeo performances but I know there was mixed feelings on him...but I have to see him in SB for myself. And I also would love to see the O’Sullivan/Hay cast...O’Sullivans debut should be exciting and I have not seen Hay in this role and would really like to. Decisions decisions. 

The nightmare continues with Coppelia, so many good casts but the one I’m most excited for is Magri/Corrales. This feels like could be a very exciting partnership I think. Not sure about the Hayward/McRae pairing- I can’t imagine them together but should be interesting. 

I saw it on Wednesday night and while I did really enjoy it it was a bit more of a mixed bag for me.  Although firstly I should say that I loved the dancers...I've always wanted to see this company and they didn't disappoint in any way.  I don't know the company at all so I can't really single anyone out so I'll just say everyone was superb.  Also I've wanted to see Ratmansky so was really looking forward to this mixed bill. 

Symphony #9 was my favourite piece- the choreography was just so clever, everything worked so well and I could really feel the energy from the dancers.  It was very uplifting in some places and quieter and more thoughtful in others- I thought the whole thing was just brilliant.

Chamber Symphony was a piece I didn't like very much.  It was unusual and I really wanted to like it but I couldn't connect to it in any way.  I bought the programme but there was no info in it regarding what it was broadly about so now after reading this thread I'm thinking I missed an awful lot.  I think maybe if I'd known more background I would have gotten more out of it but maybe it simply wasn't for me.

I thought Piano Concerto #1 was brilliantly choreographed and danced but unfortunately I just really did not like the music at all which obviously had a huge impact on my enjoyment.  I could see it was great, but the score for me was quite an exhausting listen...but a very exciting piece nevertheless.

Anyway, it was great to see SFB in the flesh after only seeing them on youtube before.  I've booked to see the Welch/Scarlett/Peck programme so looking forward to that, esp the Peck piece.